Slide rail assembly and mounting device thereof

ABSTRACT

A slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, and a mounting device. The second rail is longitudinally displaceable relative to the first rail. The second rail includes a releasing opening and a blocking wall. The mounting device is mounted to the second rail and includes an elastic member and an engaging portion connected to the elastic member. The engaging portion corresponds to the releasing opening of the second rail and is configured to be blocked by the blocking wall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a slide rail and, more particularly, toa slide rail assembly whose rails can be applied to a to-be-supportedobject via a mounting device which can be rapidly detached from therails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, a slide rail assembly includes a first rail and asecond rail which can be longitudinally displaced relative to the firstrail. The second rail can be mounted with and support a to-be-supportedobject so that the to-be-supported object can be pulled out or retractedwith respect to the first rail along with the second rail.

As the market is supplied with a great variety of slide rail assembliesand mounting devices for use therewith, and given the trend of productdiversification, it is an important issue in the slide rail industry toprovide a structurally simple product which can be rapidly mounted tothe rails of a slide rail assembly and which also allows ato-be-supported object to be rapidly mounted to the rails.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly with a mountingdevice, wherein the mounting device can be easily mounted to and rapidlydetached from a rail of the slide rail assembly.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a slide rail assemblyincludes a first rail, a second rail, and a mounting device. The secondrail can be longitudinally displaced relative to the first rail. Thesecond rail includes a releasing opening and a blocking wall. Themounting device is mounted to the second rail and includes an elasticmember and an engaging portion connected to the elastic member. Theengaging portion corresponds to the releasing opening of the second railand is configured to be blocked by the blocking wall.

Preferably, the second rail further includes a fastening portion to besecured to an intended object.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a slide railassembly is provided for use with a to-be-supported object, wherein theto-be-supported object includes a positioning portion. The slide railassembly includes a first rail, a second rail, and a mounting device.The second rail can be longitudinally displaced relative to the firstrail. The second rail is configured to support the to-be-supportedobject and includes a releasing opening. The mounting device is mountedto the second rail and includes an elastic member and an engagingportion connected to the elastic member. The engaging portioncorresponds to the releasing opening of the second rail and isconfigured to engage with the positioning portion of the to-be-supportedobject.

Preferably, the second rail further includes a fastening portion and afastening groove, and the to-be-supported object further includes acontact portion to be mounted to the fastening groove and secured by thefastening portion. The mounting device preferably further includes acushioning portion so that, when the to-be-supported object is mountedto the second rail, the cushioning portion is elastically pressedagainst a portion of the to-be-supported object.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a mountingdevice is provided to be mounted to a rail of a slide rail assembly,wherein the rail includes a releasing opening and a blocking wall. Themounting device includes an elastic member and an engaging portionconnected to the elastic member. The engaging portion corresponds to thereleasing opening of the rail and is configured to be blocked by theblocking wall.

Preferably, the mounting device further includes an operating portionconnected to the elastic member.

Preferably, the rail further comprises a window, and the mounting devicefurther includes a flexible portion to be mounted in the window.Preferably, the rail further includes a blocking portion adjacent to thewindow, and the flexible portion of the mounting device further includesa recessed section to be correspondingly engaged with the blockingportion.

Preferably, the rail further includes at least one supporting portion,and the mounting device further includes at least one pressing portionto be pressed against the at least one supporting portion.

One of the advantageous features of implementing the present inventionis that the rails of the slide rail assembly can be applied to ato-be-supported object by means of the mounting device, and that themounting device can be rapidly detached from the rails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use and the advantagesthereof will be best understood by referring to the following detaileddescription of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the slide rail assembly with a mountingdevice in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the slide rail assembly in an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a schematic exploded view of a rail and the mounting deviceof the slide rail assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a schematic exploded view, from a different angle, of therail and the mounting device in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A schematically shows how a rail and the mounting device of theslide rail assembly in an embodiment of the present invention areassembled together;

FIG. 4B is another schematic drawing of the rail and the mounting devicein FIG. 4A, showing in particular how the elastic member of the mountingdevice is operated and elastically displaced in a predetermineddirection;

FIG. 4C is yet another schematic drawing of the rail and the mountingdevice in FIG. 4A, showing in particular how the mounting device entersthe mounting opening of the rail;

FIG. 4D is still another schematic drawing of the rail and the mountingdevice in FIG. 4A, showing in particular how the engaging portion of theelastic member is correspondingly mounted to the releasing opening ofthe rail as the mounting device enters the mounting opening of the rail;

FIG. 5A schematically shows, from a different angle, how the rail andthe mounting device in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D are assembled together;

FIG. 5B is another schematic drawing of the rail and the mounting devicein FIG. 5A, showing in particular how the flexible portion of themounting device is slightly pressed and held horizontal by the rail;

FIG. 5C is still another schematic drawing of the rail and the mountingdevice in FIG. 5A, showing in particular how the mounting device ismounted to the mounting opening of the rail and how the recessed sectionof the flexible portion is pressed against the blocking portion of therail;

FIG. 6A is a schematic assembled perspective view of a rail and themounting device of the slide rail assembly in an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6B schematically shows how the mounting device in an embodiment ofthe present invention is disengaged from a rail of a slide railassembly;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing how the slide railassembly in an embodiment of the present invention is used to support ato-be-supported object;

FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view showing how a to-be-supported objectis mounted to the slide rail assembly in an embodiment of the presentinvention via the fastening portion and the mounting device of the sliderail assembly;

FIG. 9A schematically shows how a to-be-supported object is assembled toa rail of the slide rail assembly in an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9B is another schematic drawing of the to-be-supported object andthe rail in FIG. 9A, showing in particular how a portion of theto-be-supported object is mounted to the fastening portion of the rail;and

FIG. 9C is yet another schematic drawing of the to-be-supported objectand the rail in FIG. 9A, showing in particular how the to-be-supportedobject is mounted to the mounting device of the slide rail assembly andhow the cushioning portion of the mounting device is pressed against aportion of the to-be-supported object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a slide rail assembly 20 in an embodimentof the present invention includes a first rail 22, a second rail 24, anda third rail 26 which corresponds to and is movably mounted between thefirst rail 22 and the second rail 24. The third rail 26 is intended toincrease the distance by which the second rail 24 can be longitudinallydisplaced relative to the first rail 22. A mounting device 28 is mountedto one of the rails of the slide rail assembly 20. Here, the mountingdevice 28 is mounted to an end portion of the second rail 24 by way ofexample.

Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the mounting device 28 in thisembodiment of the present invention is releasably assembled to thesecond rail 24. Preferably, the second rail 24 includes a first wall 30,a second wall 32 located opposite the first wall 30, and a connectingwall 34 extending and connected between the first wall 30 and the secondwall 32. The first wall 30, the second wall 32, and the connecting wall34 jointly define a mounting opening 36. A releasing opening 38 and awindow 40 are provided at appropriate parts of the second rail 24respectively. For instance and without limitation, the releasing opening38 can be adjacent to the first wall 30, and the window 40 can belocated at the connecting wall 34. A blocking portion 42 is providedadjacent to the window 40. At least one supporting portion 44 isconnected to one of the first wall 30 and the second wall 32 and is benttoward the mounting opening 36. Here, each of the first wall 30 and thesecond wall 32 is connected with a supporting portion 44 by way ofexample. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting device 28 includes amounting member 46, an elastic member 48, an engaging portion 50, anoperating portion 52, a flexible portion 54, at least one pressingportion 58, and a cushioning portion 60. The mounting member 46 can becorrespondingly mounted to the mounting opening 36 of the second rail24. The elastic member 48 is elastically connected to the mountingmember 46. The engaging portion 50 is connected to an appropriate partof the elastic member 48. In this embodiment, the engaging portion 50 isconnected to a lateral side of the elastic member 48, but the presentinvention imposes no limitations in this regard. The operating portion52 is connected to the elastic member 48 and, in this embodiment, isgenerally perpendicularly connected to the elastic member 48. Theflexible portion 54 has one end substantially connected to a centralpart of the mounting member 46 such that the flexible portion 54 standsslantingly on the mounting member 46. The flexible portion 54 can becorrespondingly mounted in the window 40 of the second rail 24. Inaddition, the flexible portion 54 includes a recessed section 56 to becorrespondingly engaged with the blocking portion 42 of the second rail24. The at least one pressing portion 58 can be pressed against one ofthe supporting portions 44 of the second rail 24 so that the mountingdevice 28 is mounted securely to the second rail 24. The cushioningportion 60 is elastically connected to the mounting member 46.

Referring to FIG. 4A to FIG, 4D, when it is desired to mount themounting device 28 to the second rail 24, the operator applies a force Fto and thereby presses the elastic member 48 such that the elasticmember 48 is elastically displaced toward the mounting member 46 andstores an elastic force. Accordingly, the mounting device 28 is moved ina first direction D1 into the mounting opening 36 of the second rail 24.Once the elastic member 48 releases the elastic force, the engagingportion 50 connected to the elastic member 48 correspondingly juts outof the releasing opening 38 and engages with a blocking wall 39 adjacentto the releasing opening 38 of the second rail 24. Consequently, theengaging portion 50 is blocked by the blocking wall 39 and is thusmounted in the releasing opening 38 of the second rail 24.

The process of mounting the mounting device 28 to the second rail 24 isillustrated again in FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C as viewed from a differentangle. In the course in which the mounting device 28 is moved in thefirst direction DI into the mounting opening 36 following depression ofthe elastic member 48 or the operating portion 52 of the mounting device28, the flexible portion 54 of the mounting device 28 is slightlypressed by a portion of the second rail 24 (see FIG. 5B) and is therebyheld horizontal. Once the mounting device 28 enters the mounting opening36 completely (see FIG. 5C), the flexible portion 54 of the mountingdevice 28 is correspondingly mounted in the window 40 of the second rail24. With the recessed section 56 of the flexible portion 54 pressedagainst the blocking portion 42 of the second rail 24, the flexibleportion 54 will not protrude from the window 40 while mounted therein.Thus, the flexible portion 54 and its recessed section 56 allow themounting device 28 to be mounted securely to the second rail 24.

FIG. 6A shows the state in which the mounting device 28 is mounted tothe second rail 24, and FIG. 6B shows how to disengage the mountingdevice 28 from the second rail 24. When it is desired to detach themounting device 28 from the second rail 24, the operator applies a forceFl to and thereby presses the operating portion 52 of the mountingdevice 28 such that the engaging portion 50 of the mounting device 28 isdisengaged from the blocking wall 39 of the releasing opening 38. On theother hand, the operator applies another force F2 and thereby pressesthe flexible portion 54 of the mounting device 28 to disengage theflexible portion 54 from the window 40. Accordingly, the mounting device28 can be moved in a second direction, which is opposite the firstdirection Dl, so as to be detached from the second rail 24.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the second rail 24 of the slide railassembly 20 can be mounted with a to-be-supported object (an intendedobject) 62 in order to support the to-be-supported object 62. As shownin FIG. 7, a pair of slide rail assemblies 20 jointly support theto-be-supported object 62, and the second rail 24 and the third rail 26of each slide rail assembly 20 have been longitudinally displacedrelative to the corresponding first rail 22 and are therefore in anextended state relative to the corresponding first rail 22. Morespecifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the second rail 24 of each slide railassembly 20 further includes a fastening portion 64 and a fasteninggroove 66, and each lateral side of the to-be-supported object 62includes a contact portion 68 and a positioning portion 70. The contactportion 68 can be correspondingly mounted to the fastening groove 66 ofthe corresponding second rail 24 and secured by the correspondingfastening portion 64, while the positioning portion 70 iscorrespondingly mounted to the engaging portion 50 of the correspondingmounting device 28.

Referring to FIG. 9A to FIG. 9C, when it is desired to mount theto-be-supported object 62 to the second rail 24, the operator moves theto-be-supported object 62 in a direction D until the to-be-supportedobject 62 is correspondingly mounted to the fastening portion 64 of thesecond rail 24. Once the to-be-supported object 62 is mounted to andfixed in position with respect to the second rail 24, the engagingportion 50 of the mounting device 28 is correspondingly engaged with thepositioning portion 70 of the to-be-supported object 62. Moreover, oncethe to-be-supported object 62 is mounted to and fixed in position withrespect to the second rail 24, the cushioning portion 60 of the mountingdevice 28 is elastically pressed against a portion of theto-be-supported object 62 and thus produces a cushioning effect on theto-be-supported object 62. When the overall length of theto-be-supported object 62 is less than the overall length of the secondrail 24, the difference in length, if within the allowable dimensionaltolerance, can be compensated for by elastic contraction of the elasticcushioning portion 60 so that the to-be-supported object 62 can bemounted to the second rail 24 with success.

While the present invention has been disclosed herein by way of theforegoing preferred embodiments, the embodiments are not intended to berestrictive of the present invention. The scope of patent protectionsought is defined by the appended claims.

1. A slide rail assembly comprising: a first rail; a second raillongitudinally displaceable relative to the first rail, the second railcomprising a releasing opening and a blocking wall; and a mountingdevice mounted to the second rail, the mounting device comprising anelastic member and an engaging portion connected to the elastic member,wherein the engaging portion corresponds to the releasing opening of thesecond rail and is configured to be blocked by the blocking wall.
 2. Theslide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the second rail furthercomprises a fastening portion to be secured to an intended object.
 3. Aslide rail assembly applicable to a to-be-supported object, theto-be-supported object comprising a positioning portion, the slide railassembly comprising: a first rail; a second rail longitudinallydisplaceable relative to the first rail, the second rail beingconfigured to support the to-be-supported object and comprising areleasing opening; and a mounting device mounted to the second rail, themounting device comprising an elastic member and an engaging portionconnected to the elastic member, wherein the engaging portioncorresponds to the releasing opening of the second rail and isconfigured to engage with the positioning portion of the to-be-supportedobject.
 4. The slide rail assembly of claim 3, wherein the second railfurther comprises a fastening portion and a fastening groove, and theto-be-supported object further comprises a contact portion to be mountedto the fastening groove and secured by the fastening portion.
 5. Theslide rail assembly of claim 4, wherein the mounting device furthercomprises a cushioning portion, and the cushioning portion iselastically pressed against a portion of the to-be-supported object whenthe to-be-supported object is mounted to the second rail.
 6. A mountingdevice to be mounted to a rail of a slide rail assembly, the railcomprising a releasing opening and a blocking wall, the mounting devicecomprising: an elastic member; and an engaging portion connected to theelastic member, wherein the engaging portion corresponds to thereleasing opening of the rail and is configured to be blocked by theblocking wall.
 7. The mounting device of claim 6, further comprising anoperating portion connected to the elastic member.
 8. The mountingdevice of claim 6, wherein the rail further comprises a window, and themounting device further comprises a flexible portion to be mounted inthe window.
 9. The mounting device of claim 8, wherein the rail furthercomprises a blocking portion adjacent to the window, and the flexibleportion of the mounting device further comprises a recessed section tobe correspondingly engaged with the blocking portion.
 10. The mountingdevice of claim 6, wherein the rail further comprises at least onesupporting portion, and the mounting device further comprises at leastone pressing portion to be pressed against the at least one supportingportion.